LATEST THINKING

Piling off the pounds

Cost reduction has always been important to financial services organizations seeking to survive and grow in a capital-constrained market environment. Now, market leaders see further, accelerated savings as critical to their struggle to beat established rivals, ward off the threat of new entrants and deliver value to customers and shareholders alike.

In order to achieve the sustainable cost-to-income ratios necessary to compete with disruptive new rivals, leaders in financial services must find a balance between short-term “diet” solutions and “healthy lifestyle” initiatives that remove cost from their businesses in a sustainable way.

Challengers and new market entrants are operating with lower cost bases and spending less money to serve each customer.